San Francisco is packed with a variety of attractions - Educational museums, Fisherman Wharf, the Exploratorium, the Zoo, wax museums, the list goes on and on. My favorite attraction is At&t Park. The feeling I get when I sit down in my seat and take in the view, the excitement from each pitch and the energy from the crowd, I can never get enough. Others clearly share my love for the stadium because it is the top ticketed attraction in San Francisco. With the Giants success in the previous season they managed to sell out almost every home game- that's about 45,000 fans per game. But visitors come for more than just the ballgames - tours, concerts, corporate meetings, private parties, weddings, there isn't much the Giants Enterprise isn't willing to try. In 2007, the baseball field was transformed into a snow park (warning, the article linked is a little weak but it has additional information) for a corporate party complete with an ice skating rink and hills for sledding.
Something that I appreciate that most may not even think about is the architectural genius that went into creating such a wonderful park. Originally, At&t park was suppose to be facing the opposite direction offering breath taking views of the city skyline to all those that visit. However, wind posed as a problem and the park was placed into its current position, giving birth to the idea of a splash hit. But precise planning didn't stop there. Given our geographical location and the Giants already having experience with one great earth quake in 1989 planning for strong earthquakes was crucial. The singular park that we envision is actually in five sections as a preventative measure for earthquake disaster. Between each section there is a gap that will allow the park to shift with an earthquake and not suffer damage. There are also sections of pipes (that are properly colored orange and black) that will all the pipping in the given section to shift and not burst.
If you are in the area or live near San Francisco and have never visited At&t park I recommend you go! You don't have to like baseball to appreciate a beautiful venue. Tour are offered almost everyday, rain or shine, during season or off-season. Go Giants!!
Hi Justine, this is Robert Talley, the TA for 414. I like what you did with this blog post; you provided a biography of AT&T Park. Even for someone who is not a baseball fan, I enjoyed reading about the park. It would have been interesting if you explored more the history of the park and more of what you started to talk about: the concerns engineers had for earthquakes and weather conditions when building the park. I look forward to reading more blog posts from you.
ReplyDeleteI love the AT&T Park. I not only go for Giants games but also for Icer Air. I went two years in a row. I think it's so awesome that they build a huge snow ramp for snowboarder to do tricks on. I enjoy going to these types of events because its so unique. This park definitely utilizes and maximizes the space by offering so many different types of events. I love it!
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